We all know that the PSP is not the most powerful system out there, but its portability and small size makes up for the lack of power.

I had to do some traveling recently which kept me away from my computer and my Xbox360 for almost two weeks so the PSP was my traveling companion. I'm certain that the graphics would have been much sharper on the Xbox360, but considering the lack of processing power on the PSP I was actually really impressed with this game.

There are several players to chose from but initially only three of them are available. While all the tricks can be performed by each selected player, there are some very slight animation differences for each player. On top of that each player has his or her unique look. As for the boards, all the riders have access to the same boards. Just about all but the starting board have to be unlocked, and not only do they look different from one another but they also have distinguishable traits.

I want to get some facts out the way before I go comment about the tracks. First of all, snow is white. If you ever run across the yellow snow avoided it at all costs. Another fact about snowboarding is that the snowboarder always starts at the top of the mountain and then slides downhill. I'm impressed with how Shaun White Snowboarding was able to create five distinguishable looks (one for each mountain). Some slopes are sunny, others are cloudy. Other slopes have a sunset feel to them where the snow has a bluish tint to it. There is also the morning look where the snow has a golden glow to it from the sun's reflections. And, to add to the diversity of the mountains, the weather is also a factor; sometimes there is a gentle snow falling down while other times it looks like you're snowboarding in a complete storm. Considering that all rides start at the top of the mountain and end up at the base and considering that the original color of the snow is white, I'm really impressed with the diverse looks to the mountains and the slopes that the programmers were able to incorporate in this game.

The game's sound is also very good. Shaun White Snowboarding has one of the best soundtracks that I've encountered in a sporting video game. One of my favorite thing about the soundtrack is the actual songs featured in the game. While the songs keep up the tradition of featuring fast paced songs in a sporting game, unlike so many other games out there, in Shaun White Snowboarding some "classic" songs are remade on a faster pace to stay true to the fast-paced action of the game. For example, the song sang by Tia Carrere in Wayne's World, Ballroom Blitz, is remade on a much faster pace and incorporated in this game's soundtrack. While the soundtrack is great, it is not the only sounds featured in the game. There are a couple of movie files featuring Shaun White where he does a bit of speaking and there is the sound of snowboarding itself. The sound of the snowboard going over snow is present and when your rider goes over patches of ice the sound changes slightly to simulate the ice spots. Grinding objects also has its own unique sound, and the crashes sound like they really hurt. If I had to comment on something negative about this game's sound it would have to be the lack of Shaun White commentary; actually, it would be the lack of speech period. At the very beginning of the game I was left with the misconception that Shaun White would have a bigger role in the game, but after a few hours of gameplay I realized that the game focuses on snowboarding and you with Shaun White using his name in the title (mostly). But overall, the sound in this game is just about perfect.